Review: Rush – R40 DVD (Universal Music Canada)

In light of the stark reality that Rush will no longer be undertaking long-running tours, it is more than appropriate that the group would choose their hometown of Toronto in which to film their latest DVD. The show, filmed on the wildly successful R40 tour, very much serves as a back-to-basics performance, if such a thing can exist in Rush’s complex musical world, and sees the band fondly revisiting various eras of their storied history. Performances of “Tom Sawyer,” “Far Cry,” “The Spirit of Radio,” “Closer To The Heart” and “Headlong Flight” are each magnificent in their own right, but the show is not a hits-only gig by any means. The group also unearths gems like Vapour Trails’ “How It Is,” “What You’re Doing / Working Man,” from their 1974 debut, as well Signals song “Losing It,” which the band had never played live before. If this is indeed an end of sorts for Rush, no one can accuse them of not going out on a high note.